Why Marketers Think Advertising On Mobile Sucks (Distribution Hacks)
Advertising to a desktop browser is a relatively standardized experience, and you can assume the user has a full range of actions available at any given time (to see your ad as it was intended, to click, to buy, etc). On a mobile device, these assumptions fly out the window. Then it gets even worse. Tons of accidental taps you’re getting charged for because the advertising network places the ad in a place that is most likely to get tapped, even when the user has no interest in your ad. At its simplest, the outcome of these differences is that eCPMs on the desktop are worth more because they a) are a more palatable user experience b) convert better and c) have greater competition among marketers trying to buy ad placements.

Beyond this calculation is the longer-term thinking marketing leaders generally employ when they consider various campaigns: the risk/reward ratio of any given channel.

The Mobile Advertising Divide: Apps Vs. The Browser (VentureBeat)
Media planners just love putting apps in their mobile ad buying plans. But are apps the right focus when it comes to mobile advertising? Apps receive the lion’s share of attention because, on average, smartphone and tablet users spend more aggregate time with their apps versus their browser. When you dig deeper into the numbers, however, you find that the most popular in-app behaviours include activities like gaming, photo sharing, productivity and social networking. But when it comes to consuming news and information, touchscreen users clearly prefer the browser. So what does the browser-app divide mean for marketers? First, it’s essential to determine the share of your mobile media plan focused on each. And because users act differently in apps versus browsers, it is critical to be laser-focused on the types of ads presented in each environment in order to encourage and produce the most meaningful action.

Here Are The Major Players In Mobile Advertising (BI Intelligence)
We are in the post-PC era, and soon billions of consumers will be carrying around Internet-connected mobile devices for up to 16 hours a day. Mobile audiences have exploded as a result. In a recent report from BI Intelligence on the mobile advertising ecosystem, we explain the complexities and fractures, and examine the central and dynamic roles played by mobile ad networks, demand side platforms, mobile ad exchanges, real-time bidding, agencies, brands, and new companies hoping to upend the traditional banner ad. Some major players include:

20 Predictions For Mobile In 2013 (Forbes)
Smartphones now outsell PCs by more than 2 to 1, and it looks like the platform wars may be almost over, with iOS and Android between them having around 90 per cent market share. Here are some questions to ponder for this year:

Will Apple make a cheaper phone, moving below $600 new? How would it do it? (How) would it maintain segmentation? Would that be a $300 phone? A $100 phone?

Will China Mobile offer the iPhone to its 700 million users or, like DoCoMo, refuse it?

Will Apple’s dominance of the high-end ($600+) phone market continue, or will Android/Windows Phone/RIM improve to the point they can take it on head-to-head?

Will Microsoft make its own phone? Will Windows Phone finally get any traction?

What happens to Nokia if Windows Phone gets no traction? Does Microsoft buy it?

What is the future of Nokia’s feature phone business? How big will Asha be?

How much longer will RIM survive? Who will buy the wreckage? Or will the ‘Do what Nokia did, but two years later’ strategy actually work?

What happens to the struggling Android OEMs, HTC, LG Mobile and Sony Mobile? Is there an M&A roll-up here?

What is Google going to do with the Motorola mobile business? Shut it down? Break it up? Let it carry on running into the ground? Or give up on the firewall?

Is Google’s whole approach to Android sustainable? Will it move more towards Nexus handsets, or does that remain just a low-volume showcase?

Check out the article for the last 10 predictions / questions for the future of mobile this year.

The 2013 Mobile Revolution: Politics (The Huffington Post)
In a few short years, mobile technology has become the most important change in how we consume political information. Half of social media traffic is actually coming from mobile phones. Additionally, over 61 per cent of Americans are getting their news from these smaller devices via the mobile Web and through mobile apps. Therefore, all future political campaigns, on every level of politics, will need to focus on mobile communications. This means that they will not only have to think about how email displays on a mobile phone, but also make sure their websites are mobile friendly. They will need to think more about how busy their target audience is while watching these political ads on very small screens. Campaigns need to understand that their news is being spread at 140 characters at a time and their videos are being consumed at 15-second intervals instead of 60-second intervals.

Migrating to iOS and Android didn’t result in the end of the world, just possibly the end of RIM

We must all respect tablets

Big data is getting even bigger with mobilized employees

CIOs who thought they had their business intelligence (BI) strategy already scoped out and locked down, are now realising that mobile workers with smartphones and tablets are contributing a high volume of very valuable real-time data. As a result, the enterprise CIO must now adapt and have a more proactive, mobile-friendly BI strategy to capitalise on this instantly transferable data. Simply put, it’s time for enterprise CIOs to embrace employee mobile empowerment and adjust their strategies across the board.

QR Code Campaigns That Actually Worked (Econsultancy)
QR codes are now a common feature in marketing campaigns, though many people are often sceptical about their value. This scepticism is often justified as, though we have seen some creative examples, QR codes are often used very badly. Also, while it is easy to find creative examples, brands and marketers aren’t always forthcoming about revealing the stats around campaigns. But here are some examples where QR codes have been used effectively:

MyToy.de: German retailer MyToy.de built QR codes using Lego bricks to drive customers to their online store. 40-nine per cent of visitors to MyToy.de came via the QR codes.

Heinz: Last year Heinz put QR codes on ketchup bottles in US restaurants to promote its new environmentally friendly packaging. More than 1 million consumers scanned the codes.

Emart: South Korea’s largest retailer, created a shadow QR code that only became visible when the sun was at the correct angle in the sky between midday and 1pm. The company sold more than 12,000 coupons, membership increased 58 per cent on the previous month and sales increased 25 per cent during lunchtime.

Dow Chemicals: Dow Chemicals placed a QR code in a range of print ads last September. By the end of the year the codes had been scanned more than 20,000 times.

Transport for London: TfL currently uses QR codes on posters at tube stations to promote its real-time mobile bus timetables. The codes have been scanned 16,000 times in the past five months.

L’Oreal: During New York Fashion Week L’Oreal put QR codes in taxis that linked to how-to videos featuring Yves Saint Laurent and Lancôme beauty products. L’Oreal reported a 7 per cent overall purchase conversion rate from the QR codes, while downloads of the app increased by approximately 80 per cent during the five day campaign.

Let this be a lesson… don’t count QR codes out just yet.

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